


Hogwarts? More Like Hog-wild.

by marvelousshipper, SherlockWolf



Category: Captain America (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Slow Build, guest writer, it may not seem like it from the tags but that's what it is, marvelousshipper, there'll be fun thrown in with the other characters though, this is a stucky fic, trust me - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-08
Updated: 2015-10-11
Packaged: 2018-04-19 17:23:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4754798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marvelousshipper/pseuds/marvelousshipper, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SherlockWolf/pseuds/SherlockWolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky is a young wizard who has been waiting his whole life to go to Hogwarts. Steve is a young wizard who didn't even know that he was a wizard. This is their adventure and romance in the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Character List

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! So, I noticed that there was a severe lack of Hogwarts fanfic in the stucky ship (or maybe I looked through the wrong tags, I don't know) and so I decided to take it upon myself to write one. I'm planning on this being rather long, so I hope my writing is bearable for you all. This will be a slow build, and I plan to update once a week since I'm planning on the chapters being long (longer than this first one, especially). If something comes up where I won't be able to update as often, I'll be sure to let you all know.  
> Enjoy!  
> ~SW

Here is the list of characters for your reference throughout the story. Keep in mind that some of them may only be mentioned and will not play a large roll in the story.

**Professors**

Nicholas J. Fury: Headmaster

Phillip Coulson: Head of Staff, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, Frog Chior*

May Parker: Dark Arts, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Muggle Music*

Maria Hill: Potions, Alchemy, Art*, Muggle Art*

(AntMan) Hank Pym: Muggle Studies, Arithmacy, Advanced Arithmacy Studies*

Thor Odinson: Astronomy, Divination, Magical Theory*

Loki Laufeyson: Charms, Transfiguration, Music*, Orchestra*

(Lizard) Curtis Connors: History of Magic, Study of Ancient Ruins, Ancient Studies*

(Green Goblin 1.0) Norman Osborne: Flying, Apparition, Ghoul Studies*

* = extra-curricular classes

**Gryffindor**

(Captain America) Steven G. Rogers

(Miss America) America Chavez

(Falcon) Samuel Wilson

(Mockingbird) Barbara “Bobbi” Morse

Gwen Stacy

(War Machine) James “Rhodey” Rhodes

(Armor) Hisako Ichiki

(Jubilee) Jubilation “Jubes” Lee

(Daredevil) Matthew “Matt” or “Matty” Murdock

(Agent 13) Sharon Carter

 

**Ravenclaw**

(Iron Man) Anthony Edward “Tony” Stark

(Spiderman) Peter Parker

(Hulk) Robert “Bruce” Banner

Margaret “Peggy” Carter

(Patriot) Elijah "Eli" Bradley

(Quicksilver) Pietro Maximoff

(Scarlet Witch) Wanda Maximoff

(Magneto) Max Eisenhardt

(Prof. X) Charles Xavier

(Risque) Gloria Dolores Muñoz

(Red Queen) Hope Pym

(Phoenix) Jean Gray

(Zola) Arnim Zola

 

**Hufflepuff**

(Hawkeye) Clinton Barton

(Starlord) Peter Jason Quill

(Hawkeye) Kate “Katie-Kate” Bishop

(Hulkling) Theodore "Teddy" Altman

(Wolverine) James “Logan” Howlett

(Rouge) Anne Marie

(Spiderman) Miles Morales

Angelica “Angie” Martinelli

(Squirrel Girl) Doreen Green

Franklin “Foggy” Nelson

Karen Page

(Cyclops) Scott Summers

 

**Slytherin**

 (Black Widow) Natalia “Natasha” or “Nat” Romanova

(Winter Soldier) James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes

(Rocket Raccoon) Robert “Rocky” Rakon

(Groot) Groot, Robert "Rocky" Rakon's plant that he charmed incorrectly and so now it is self aware and only says the phrase "I am Groot".

(Wiccan) William "Billy" Kaplan

(Omega Sentinel) Karima Shapandar

(AntMan) Scott Lang

(Green Goblin 2.0) Harry Osborne

(Deadpool) Wade Wilson

(Red Skull) Johann Schmidt

(Gamora) Gamora Zen


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if there are any mistakes; this fic is currently unbeta'd.

    Snow drifted silently outside, dusting rooftops but melting before it could coat the pavement. The snow falling through the glow of the streetlights caused a mesmerizing scene that not many people paid attention to. There was one person watching the clash of man and nature, though.

    James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes was up well past his bedtime, watching each snowflake that passed his nose. He was waiting for something.

    Bucky had turned eleven today. And every kid’s eleventh birthday was special.

    On the eleventh birthday of every magical child in the world, said child would receive a letter. Each letter was unique. It would address the specific child, greet that child’s family, and explain which school of Witchcraft and Wizardry had chosen the child to become one of their students. Then further details would include a school supply list as well as how to reach the designated school.

    For Bucky, there was one hour left before his eleventh birthday was over, and he still hadn’t received his letter.

    This, of course, happened. Owls were late, the mail became delayed because of the weather. There were numerous explanations.

    One terrified Bucky, however. It was that maybe—and there was a very slim chance—he wasn’t good enough for a magic school. Or maybe he was a squib and wouldn’t be considered.

    He’d voiced these fears to his parents before he’d gone to bed—but after his little sister, Becca went to bed; he didn’t want to scare her—but they had reassured him that he was not a squib and that sometimes owls were slow.

    And so here he was, waiting.

    He glanced over at his digital clock. _12:00am_.

    That was it, then. Bucky wasn’t going to get his letter.

    He shoved the curtains of his window closed and stumbled to his bed, disappointment and confusion tiring him. He curled into a ball under the covers and spent the next hour struggling to fall asleep.

~

    Steven “Steve” Grant Rogers woke to the smell of waffles and strawberries wafting into his room from the kitchen. He rolled over, glanced at his clock, and deemed that 8:00am was an acceptable time for breakfast.

    He made his way out of his room and to his usual seat at the kitchen table, which was angled so that he could perfectly see the T.V. and his mom cooking in the kitchen.

    “Mornin’ sunshine. Happy birthday!” His mom greeted him, flashing a smile at him over her shoulder as she poured waffle batter onto the waffle iron. There was already a small stack of them on the table, paired with a bowl of strawberries next to a bottle of maple syrup.

“Mornin’. Thanks.” Steve mumbled back, sliding a waffle onto his plate—which his mom had set for him earlier—and garnishing it.

   “You’ve got mail.” Steve’s father said from his seat across the table. Steve’s father preferred that seat because it was the best angle for him to read his news magazine without glare from the sunlight that streamed through the kitchen window.

    He sat down his magazine to give a white envelope to Steve that had his name written on it in flowery cursive. Steve took it and flipped it to the back, excitement coursing through him when he saw that it was sealed with a piece of red wax. There was some sort of symbol pressed into the wax, but Steve couldn’t make it out well enough to be bothered with it. He peeled the wax off of the paper and pulled out the letter.

    Aloud, he read:

_Dear Steven Grant Rogers,_

_This is your official invitation letter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed you will find a letter to your parents, your school supply list, a recommended packing list, and instructions for when and how to board the Hogwarts Express train that will bring you to our school._

_Please know that this invitation is not common, and that you are among some of the luckiest young wizards to be invited to Hogwarts._

_We hope to see you in the fall._

_Sincerely,_

_Nicholas J. Fury, Headmaster_

_Philip Coulson, Head of Staff_

    Steve set the letter down in confusion, not bothering with the other two.

“Is this some strange present from grandma?” He asked, his bewilderment obvious. His parents exchanged gleeful glances before turning to Steve.

“Well, no, honey. You _are_ going to Hogwarts! It’s a _real_ school for _real_ wizards just like you. Remember when we took you to the mental health doctor because we thought something was wrong?” His mother asked, joining them at the table by gripping the back of her chair and looking down at Steve with more excitement than he thought she could ever have.

“Yes, I remember.” He answered, looking back at the letter. The doctor had spoken to his parents privately after reassuring Steve that his ability to talk to snakes was perfectly normal. Steve had never learned what his parents had been told. Until today, that is.

“She told us that the reason you can talk to snakes is because you’re related to a wizard who could do that same thing. And she told us that due to genetics, which you’ve learned a bit about right?”

His father paused for him to nod, then continued, “Due to genetics, you happen to have the magic abilities required to be considered a wizard. And so, you’ve been offered to be taught how to practice magic.”

    Steve stared at his father as the bewilderment became replaced with sheer joy. He was going to be a wizard!

    Steve jolted into action, diving for the two supply lists and for the note for his parents. He shoved that note at his father and mother, and then read gleefully over the school lists.

_First Year Student Supply List_

_Uniform_

_Three Sets of Plain Work Robes (Black)_

_One Plain Pointed Hat (Black) for day wear_

_One Pair of Protective Gloves (dragon hide or similar)_

_One Winter Cloak (Black, silver fastenings)_

_Please note that all student's clothes should carry name-tags at all times._

_Books_

_The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 by Miranda Goshawk_

_A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot_

_Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling_

_A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch_

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore_

_Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger_

_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander_

_The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble_

_Other Equipment_

_One Wand_

_Multiple Quills with an Inkpot and  Plentiful Ink_

_One Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)_

_One set of glass or crystal phials_

_One telescope_

_One set of brass scales_

_Optional: One Owl, Toad, Rodent, or Cat_

_Parents are reminded that first-years are not allowed their own broomsticks._

        The other list was less exotic. It was a _Recommended List of Items for Hogwarts Dormitory Life_ and included things such as bedding, hygiene supplies, study materials and the like. It even suggested not to bring more than a few personal memorabilia items.

    “Where am I supposed to get this stuff?” Steve asked after he’d reread the list a few times.

“Someplace called ‘Diagon Alley’ in London.” His mother responded, reading off of the note for parents.

“When are we going?” Steve asked eagerly, already prepared to leave behind his current schooling.

His parents both giggled at his excitement. His mom answered, “We’ll have to go soon. It’s July right now and you’re supposed to start attending in September.”

Steve gave a squeal of delight and bounced from his seat to hug his parents. They hugged him back, and the excitement of the trio was almost tangible in the air. Steve abandoned the hug to do a small dance around the kitchen, too excited for his own good.

    A new school meant new people who knew nothing about him. He could be himself and make friends, who were witches and wizards of all things! He could hardly wait.

~

    Bucky woke to find an owl perched on the end of his bed. He blinked a few times to make sure that it was really there, and upon confirming that it was, he bounded at the bird. It flew out of his reach in surprise, but when he froze, realizing his mistake, it floated back down and landed next to him on the comforter. There was a letter in its beak, and it joylessly dropped the letter on Bucky’s legs before flying out the open window through which it came.

    Bucky snatched the letter—feeling a bit sorry for owl in the back of his mind—and tore it open, rushing passed the wax seal in his excitement.

    Four pieces of paper fell out onto the bed, and Bucky didn’t know which one to start with. He grabbed the first one off of the pile and read:

_To the parents of James Buchanan Barnes,_

_Congratulations on your son’s invitation to Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry. We will be proud to have another Barnes child educated within our walls. Please make sure that your son has every required item on his school list, and that he is prepared to stay at Hogwarts until or through Christmas (at which he will be sent home in May) depending on your family’s decision. Please also ensure that your son makes the train to Hogwarts. It will leave at exactly nine o’clock am on September 1 st of this year from King’s Cross Station, London, England._

_Sincerely,_

_Nicholas J. Fury, Headmaster_

_Philip Coulson, Head of Staff_

    Bucky decided that he would share that with his parents in a few minutes. Next, he poured over the welcome letter and the school supply lists. He had ample time to gather his supplies since it was currently December and he didn’t have to be on the train for about six months. He felt bad for anyone with a summer birthday.

    He couldn’t wait to share this with his best friend. They’d both been waiting to receive their Hogwarts letters since each of their parents had told them about the school. They had certainly heard about other schools that taught witchcraft and wizardry, but since both of the boys’ parents had attended Hogwarts, they knew that that was where they would go.

    Clint would be so jealous, and Bucky couldn’t wait to tell him.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the wait was worth it! :P So, I’ll probably update every Tuesday. I’ll let y’all know if that day will change or if I’m going to have to skip one. Also, I’m going to make some references to the Harry Potter stories, but this universe does NOT happen before/during/after the Harry Potter stories’ plotline. Just thought I’d clarify. Lastly, the year of this fic is 2015, so current.   
> As always, thanks for reading!!! I hope it’s living up to expectations x.x   
> ~SW

    The house phone rang as Clint was doing his math homework on the floor of his living room the night after his best friend’s birthday. He bounced over to the phone and yanked it off the hook.

“Yello?” Clint greeted in his usual silliness.

“Hi! Guess what I got?” Bucky’s voice asked enthusiastically over the phone. Clint had to turn down his hearing aid because of how loud Bucky was in his excitement, but he immediately knew what his friend was referring to and couldn’t help getting just as excited.

“You got your letter!”

“Yeah! I’m gonna go to Hogwarts!”

Clint grinned at the air. “Always knew you would. You’re super smart, Bucky.”

“Mhmm. Anyway, now we just have to wait for yours. You’re going to Hogwarts, too, right?”

“Yeah.” Clint nodded even though Bucky wasn’t actually there.

“Awesome! Man, I can’t wait.”

“Me neither. What house do you think you’ll get into?” Clint asked for the sake of something to continue the conversation.

“Oh, I hadn’t even thought of that. Maybe Slytherin? I’ve heard that that house is full of badasses. What about you?”

Clint thought for a moment before he answered. “I don’t honestly care. As long as I get one, you know?”

“Yeah.” Bucky agreed. The boys fell into comfortable silence for a minute before Clint cleared his throat and said,

“Anyway, I’ve got some math homework to finish. Talk to ya later?”

“Oh okay. Bye!”

Clint and Bucky hung up the phone at the same time, and then Clint sprawled back out on the floor to continue his homework so that his adoptive mom would let him watch T.V.

    About two months later, Clint had his own eleventh birthday. His parents threw him a little party, and during cake and owl swooped into the house and deposited a letter into Clint’s lap before swooping back out of the living room window.

    Clint couldn’t open the envelope in the presence of his muggle friends, but after they left and it was just him, his parents, Bucky, and Bucky’s family, Clint tenderly opened the envelope.

    The room erupted into a frenzy of enthusiasm as he read his invitation letter aloud. It was official: Clint Barton was going to Hogwarts.

~

    The plane ride from LaGuardia airport in New York City to the London CIty airport was the longest flight of Steve’s life. His family didn’t take airplanes often; usually they went between his mother’s family in Ireland and home, since his father’s family lived in Brooklyn. On those flights Steve generally read and slept. On this flight, however, the little guy was convinced that the extra three hours were going to be the death of him.

    He tried to entertain himself by starting one of the few well-read novels he’d brought from home, but after only two hours he became bored, tired, and decided to sleep instead. He thanked his mom for choosing to take an overnight flight.

    Steve woke up when his mom shook his shoulders. She smiled warmly at him when he blinked his eyes open groggily.

“We’re here, honey. Wake up!” She cooed. Steve wiggled his way out of his seat, grabbed his backpack, and filed off of the plane with his parents ahead of him. The airport was enormous and filled with people. Out of instinct Steve grabbed his mother’s hand and held tight.

    With his father navigating, the trio made it safely out of immigration and into a taxi, which took them to their hotel in London. It was early morning from what Steve read on the clock, and the sun coming up gave him a trill of excitement as he watched the scenery pass by through the car window.

    Their hotel was small but well-furnished and cutely decorated, and Steve knew that his mom had picked it. Once they’d set up their room, they went out on the town to explore.

    In fact, they spent the first three days exploring, both enjoying the city and trying to locate Diagon Alley. The instructions given by the Hogwarts Headmaster and Head of Staff were not as clear cut as they seemed on paper, and by the afternoon of the third day the family was about to give up when they happened upon a group of older teenagers who—as Steve’s father eavesdropped—were on their way to Diagon Alley to buy their school supplies.

    It was in a small café that this conversation took place, and Steve’s father barged his way through the coffee line to reach the teens before they could go anywhere he couldn’t reach them. Steve and his mother followed him less quickly, and then all three of the Rogers family stood before the teens.

    “Excuse me! Sorry, I just happened to overhear you talking about Diagon Alley. My wife and I are trying to get our son there. It’s his first year and we’ve had the worst luck finding it.”

The startled trio of teens recovered from the interruption quickly, all three of them bursting into welcoming grins.

“We’ll be glad to help.” The only female said, extending her hand for Steve’s father to shake. “My name’s Karen.”

The boy with ginger hair and red-tinted rounded-lens glasses introduced himself as Matt, and the boy next to him with flowing gold locks introduced himself as Foggy.

After Steve’s dad shook all of their hands, it was Steve’s turn, and then his mom’s.

    Once introductions were over, the teens led the way out of the café and down a maze of streets to a brick wall at the dead end of an alley. Steve’s dad took down the name of the cross streets before they walked to the end.

    “Here we are. Now, watch this carefully so that you won’t forget for next year.” Karen said, looking directly at Steve to make sure that he was paying attention. Steve nodded and watched as Karen pulled a wand out of her coat pocket and tapped a pattern onto the bricks.

    The bricks of the wall appeared to eat one another as the center of the wall folded away to create a door. Karen led the way through the door, Steve’s family behind her, and Matt with Foggy clutching his elbow behind them.

    The wall moved back into place once everyone was through, and the Rogers stood in awe for a moment, taking in the bustling scene before them.

    People in robes and various other attire—but mostly robes—were walking about everywhere, going in and out of the many shops that lined the cobblestone alleyway that ran straight through and curved at the horizon. Vendors hollering their goods were scattered on the street, making it clear that not a single car had ever driven through this place.

    “Woa.” Steve whispered once he’d regained his thoughts, and the teens grinned gleefully at his wonderment.

“It’s an amazing sight, isn’t it?” Matt commented, and the Rogers all nodded.

Foggy snorted, and then clarified to the family, “Matty here’s blind. Ignore him.”

Steve’s mom giggled at that while his father seemed at a loss for what to say. Steve did in fact, ignore the exchange, because Karen was grabbing his hand and pulling him forward down the street.

    “First we have to go to Gringotts,” she informed him, “Because that’s where we’ll exchange your muggle money for wizard currency.

“What does ‘muggle’ mean?” Steve asked, the first of two questions. He followed alongside her, glancing every now and then to make sure that his parents were still behind them. They were, with Matt and Foggy still pulling up the rear.

“Well….” Karen hesitated a moment, and Steve let her find the right words. He was always considerate of that in others; not everyone was as fast of a thinker as his mom.

“’Muggle’ means non-magic folk. So, your parents are muggles, for example.” Karen said. Steve nodded, the curiosity as to why Karen had needed to pause to phrase something so simple fading to the back of his mind in favor of his second question.

    “What’s wizard currency?” He then asked, the second of two questions.

    “Well, there’s galleons, which are the most expensive. Then there’s sickles and knuts which are both pretty cheap. You’re from America, too, right?” She asked, and Steve nodded.

“Me too! Where from?”

“Brooklyn, New York.”

“Oh, cool! Matt, Foggy, and I are all from New York City. Anyway, the point of my asking was to tell you that one galleon is about seven dollars, one sickle is about fifty cents, and one knut is two cents. But don’t worry about calculating it, that’s the goblins’ job.”

“Goblins?” Steve parroted, but Karen didn’t get a chance to affirm because they were now stopping in front of a two-story, snow-white marble building with enormous bronze doors with what Steve presumed were gold handles that were bigger than necessary. When they walked up to the doors, Karen swung open one of them and held it while Steve, his parents, and the two teenage boys filed inside, where a second set of doors awaited them. These doors were smaller and silver. Steve noticed an engraving on them and read it aloud,

“Enter, stranger, but take heed

Of what awaits the sin of greed

For those who take, but do not earn,

Must pay most dearly in their turn.

So if you seek beneath our floors

A treasure that was never yours,

Thief, you have been warned, beware

Of finding more than treasure there.”

“That’s threatening.” Matt commented as Steve opened the door and held it open for the others.

“Yeah. Makes me wonder what they’ve got stashed down there.”

“Wasn’t it a dragon? I remember reading in the paper when I was little that some kids broke in and escaped on the back of a huge dragon.” Foggy said, and Steve felt another little trill of excitement. Dragons were real!

    The inside of Gringotts was beautiful. It was a long hall lined by desks and cubicles, all made with black marble, that led to a main desk opposite where Steve, his family, and the teens stood.

    Karen led them over to a stocky hook-nosed creature with beady black eyes that was standing on a pedestal near the entrance doors.

    Karen explained why they were there, and then the goblin pointed to a desk and the Rogers found themselves herded in yet another direction. There, Steve’s parents used their credit cards to get enough coins that Karen, Matt, Foggy, and the goblin who was assisting them estimated they would need to buy all of Steve’s first year supplies.

    Then they were off to the stores.

    First, they went to a bookstore called _Flourish and Blotts,_ where Karen danced around the shelves with Steve in tow while the boys and Steve’s parents browsed the collection as much as they could in the crowded store. They left the store with a bit less money and a stack of books. They’d managed to find everything on Steve’s list except for _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,_ which Karen said they would have to go to _Obscurus Books_ , another book store.

    Then, they went to _Amanuensis Quills,_ where Steve bought a quill with a bald eagle’s feather. After that, they were off to _Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions_ , where Steve struggled for a full half-an-hour to find a set of robes that would fit his skinny frame. Next they bought his Fantastic Beasts book, and following that they went to _Potage’s Cauldron Shop, Scribbulus Writing Instruments,_ and _Slug & Jiggers Apothecary. _Steve bought a cauldron, ink and an inkpot, and his potions at each store respectively.

    “Now for the fun stuff.” Foggy said after they left _Slug & Jiggers Apothecary. _

“It’s all fun for him, Foggs, he’s a first year.” Matt mumbled in Steve’s defense, which the eleven year old was thankful for. The fact that he was going to a wizarding school for wizards was a reality he only thought happened in dreams.

    First, they went into _Ollivanders,_ which was a dusty, cramped little brick building. The inside had a few rows of shelves that seemed to stretch forever and were filled with simple green boxes that were generally around a foot long each.

    “Hello!” A cheery old man’s voice crowed from somewhere within the shelves, and then a moment later he hobbled out of the leftmost shelf with a box in hand.

Everyone greeted him, and he introduced himself as Ollivander. He then focused his attention on Steve.

“You’re the first year, I presume?” He asked, to which Steve nodded.

“Alright my boy. Here, take this.”

Ollivander handed Steve the box, gesturing for him to open it once it was secure in the little boy’s hands.

Steve shuffled the lid off of the moss-green box and gave it to Ollivander to hold while he peered at the contents within. It was a wand. A real wand for a real wizard who was going to go to a real wizarding school.

    Steve visibly vibrated with contained excitement as he carefully plucked the wand from the box.

“What’s it made of?” He asked in wonderment as he turned it over and over, examining every inch of the magic-enabler.

“I believe that it’s carved from the core of a Douglas Fir, a tree that’s quite common in your country. The core is Kelpie hair. A kelpie is a shapeshifting water demon native to Britain and Ireland. You may know of one of the most famous kelpies, the Loch Ness Monster.” Ollivander described. Then he peered down at Steve expectantly.

“Well, give it a go.”

Steve waggled the wand in a small circle with no result. He wasn’t sure what the old wizard was looking for, but clearly nothing wasn’t the answer.

“Try a flick of the wrist, dear boy. Like this.” Ollivander said, demonstrating with his own hand. Steve watched the motion carefully, then copied it. The papers on the front desk flew upwards as if caught in a draft, and the desk lamp flickered. Ollivander chuckled while Steve came to the realization as to why the wand shop was such a disastrous mess.

 “That’s the one!” The old man crowd, giving Steve a wide smile. Then he turned to Steve’s parents to discuss the price (it turns out that Ollivander prefers the bargaining method of selling goods).

    Once they left the wand shop, Karen announced that they had exactly one stop left, and that it was optional. Steve’s parents look relieved—they’d spent more money than they’d expected—but when Steve’s eyes lit up at the name of the store, _Eeylops Owl Emporium_ , they knew they wouldn’t be able to say no.

    The _Emporium_ sold more than just owls. They had various cats, frogs, toads, and even rodents for sale as well. But, as soon as Steve walked through the door, his eyes settled on a small tawny bird and he couldn’t look anywhere else. The little creature watched the world with wide yellow eyes, and the expression on its face seemed to be set in one of permanent wonderment. It was perfect for Steve, because all he could think of the wizarding world so far was how amazing it was.

    It wasn’t hard to convince his parents to buy him the owl and the necessary equipment to provide for it. Once that was done, the group moved out of the shop and into the street.

    “Well, it was fun getting to help you!” Karen said, sticking out her hand for Steve to shake. He did, heartily, then turned to Foggy to repeat the gesture. When it came to Matt, he hesitated, but the blind teen readily grabbed his hand and gave it a very unbalanced shake.

“If you ever need help, don’t hesitate to ask one of us.” Matt told him sincerely, then grinned slyly and beckoned for Steve to lean in close, which required Foggy to release Matt’s elbow. Matt held onto Steve’s hand while he talked.

“I may be blind, but I know Hogwarts like the back of my hand. So if you ever want a behind the scenes tour, let me know. There are some passages you’ll want to know about when you’re older.”

“Oh…okay. Thanks?” Steve responded, making Matt chuckle as he reattached to Foggy.

    Steve’s parents thanked the teens for their help, then the sextuplet split apart. The Rogers headed for the exit of the alleyway, while the teens delved deeper into the shops in a direction they hadn’t taken the Rogers.

     “Well, Steve honey, are you still excited?” His mom asked once they were on the main streets of London.

“Yeah!” Steve yelled, doing a little jump in the air that was less high than he wanted because of the weight from all of the things he was carrying, and from not wanting to scare his new bird.

    His parents beamed down at him, reveling in their son’s excitement. This was going to be the greatest adventure of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cheezy end line. I'll try better next time :P   
> This fic is unbeta'd so if there are any mistakes let me know!  
> Thanks for reading, and I'll update next Tuesday (GMT Mountain Time)!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo. After consulting the Harry Potter Wiki I discovered that the Hogwarts Express actually leaves at 11am, not 9. But, since I already wrote 9am for this fic, I’m sticking with that.  
> Also, my writing style’s going to change toward the end of this chapter. Yes, I am doing it on purpose. No, I’m not going to change tenses (that’s mostly a note to myself…). Honestly the change might be so subtle ya’ll may not even notice. :D  
> Final note: remember that this is a modern fic, so yes, Hogwarts has cell service and WiFi. They don’t have a computer lab or anything like that in this fic. Just WiFi. It’s still a “traditional” wizarding school (for all you concerned parents. ;D). This is un-beta’d so if anything’s wonky please let me know!

    It was eight a.m. on September first at King’s Cross Station, and the Roger’s family was entirely lost.

    They’d found platform nine. They’d found platform ten. They had yet to find platform nine and three-quarters.

    When Steve’s father had given up and decided to ask a station employee, the man had stared at his father as if he were crazy and had simply told him to ‘stop fooling around and be on his way’. It wasn’t the first unpleasant reaction they’d received that morning; a luggage cart with a heavy trunk and an owl was hardly usual.

    It wasn’t until the family had been lost for nearly ten minutes that Steve noticed something that at first glance had nothing to do with finding the train to Hogwarts.

    There was a young girl who appeared his age standing near one of the pillars, leaning on a luggage cart full to the brim and looking relatively anxious. Steve was simply watching her out of curiosity when a woman approached the girl, said something brief to her, and then…

    Steve had to blink a few times to make sure he was actually awake.

    The woman had walked straight into the pillar the girl was next to and had disappeared into thin air.

    Steve yanked on his mom’s coat sleeve and pointed over to where the girl was still standing.

“Mom, a lady who just talked to that girl ran _into_ the pillar that the girl’s standing next to!” Steve explained. His mom relayed the message to his father, who shrugged and said they may as well go ask the girl if she noticed it, too.

“There isn’t much point in questioning things when dealing with magic.” Was his father’s justification.

    When they made their way over to the girl, cart in tow, she looked up at the family of strangers warily.

“Can I help you?” She asked forwardly, he voice sharp with a Queen’s English accent.

“Yeah,” Steve mumbled when his mom pushed him a bit forward to respond, “Uh, did you see that woman go through the wall here a minute ago?” Steve gestured to the brick wall of the pillar next to them.

The girl squinted at Steve suspiciously. “You saw that?”

“Yeah.” He grunted, shuffling his feet nervously. There was something intimidating about this girl, but with her mouse brown curls and doe eyes it was hard for Steve to narrow down just what was so scary about her.

“Hmm. Then yes. She did. I presume you’re looking for the Hogwarts express?”

“Yes!” Steve squeaked, still intimidated even though the girl seemed more relaxed at his answer to her most recent question.

“Well, all you’ve got to do is run through the pillar. It’ll take you to platform nine and three-quarters.” The girl explained.

    Steve thanked her, then turned away to his parents, who looked a bit sad.

 “We have to leave you here, Stevie.” His mom said, reaching out for a hug which Steve gratefully accepted.

“Why?”

“The letter from Hogwarts said that only magic folk can go through the entrance to the platform, so you’ll have to go by yourself from here.” His father said, getting a turn for a hug. Steve bid his parents goodbye, then grasped his cart between his hands and returned his attention to the girl who was still standing next to the pillar.

    “So, what do I do again?” He asked, less nervous by her.

“Run at it. Through it, actually. Don’t worry, you won’t get hurt.”

“Are you also going to Hogwarts?” Steve asked, though he didn’t need to because the cat carrier on top of a cumbersome leather trunk implied enough.

“Of course. If you want, you can wait for me on the other side of the pillar and I’ll help you once I get there, too. I’m just waiting for my father. He left his camera in the car and wanted to take a picture before I leave.”

“Okay. I really appreciate your help, by the way.” Steve said. Despite the intimidation there was something about this girl that demanded respect, and Steve didn’t feel like trying to play devil’s advocate to that.

“No problem.” The girl smiled at him. Then she gestured for him to get on his way, and so Steve took in a bracing breath—as much as his little lungs could take in—and raced at the wall. He squeezed his eyes shut as he got close, but when he should’ve hit it, he felt nothing so he stopped in his tracks and opened his eyes wide.

    The scenery around him had dramatically altered. There were just as many people about, but all of them were in much the same clothing as the people in Diagon Alley: black robes. Some had variously shaped and coloured insignias on them. Steve noticed no more than four variations: a snake on green, a lion on red, a badger on yellow, and a raven on blue.

    There was a steam engine along the left side of the platform where there hadn’t been one on the other side of the wall. The kids of various ages were all filing onto the train, hauling their luggage with them and passing it to the nearest conductor who would disappear into the depths of the train with it.

    There were far less parents than children, which made Steve wonder how many were muggleborns like himself, or if most of their parents just hadn’t bothered coming along (especially with the older kids).

“Hey, watch it!” Someone yelled from behind him, and Steve whirled around to find a boy his age had nearly plowed into him because he hadn’t yet moved far enough away from the pillar to avoid being hit by someone else coming through it.

“Gaah! Sorry!” Steve yelled back out of surprise. The boy glared at him for a moment before shaking off the offense and sticking his hand out toward Steve.

“Nice ta meetcha. Name’s James, but call me Bucky. Only my mom calls me James.”

    Bucky’s forwardness had caught Steve off guard, but that wasn’t the only reason he hesitated. Bucky’s soft-looking brown hair was cropped in a way Steve had really never seen before on someone else his own age, and the steel-gray eyes he had reminded Steve of his favourite weather. And, despite the fact that they’d nearly seriously injured one another, Bucky was grinning as if this were the best coincidence to ever happen to him. Steve found it endearing.

    “Uh. Hi. I’m Steve.” He responded after a moment of staring, shaking Bucky’s hand.

“You’re a first year too, right?” Bucky asked, not noticing that Steve had been staring at his face (unbeknownst to Steve, Bucky’d been doing the same).

“Y-yeah. How’d you know?”

“’Cuz you look like a lost puppy.”

“Oh.” Steve replied automatically, his cheeks tinting pink.

    Before Bucky could get another word in, Steve noticed the pillar became fuzzy in his vision, and he instinctively grabbed Bucky and pulled him out of the way. It was a lucky move, because immediately after another boy their age came running through and barreled past where Bucky had been standing.

“Jeezus, Clint! Watch it, dude!” Bucky hollered at the blond boy, who halted at the sound of his name and turned around.

“Why are you idiots standing in front of the door? You’re asking for it, Buck!” Clint shouted back before backtracking to where Steve and Bucky were standing. They shuffled a bit out of the way before Bucky introduced Clint and Steve to one another.

    “So, you wanna sit with us Steve?” Clint asked.

“Yeah, sure. But I’m waiting for this girl I met on the other side. She said she was gonna sit with me, but she’s waiting for her dad.”

“Oooo, Steve’s gettin’ in with the girls already!” Bucky crowed, which resulted in Steve turning red.

“It’s not like that! I just met her.” Steve defended, unsure why this stranger was already teasing him.

“Mhmm.” Bucky winked at him.

Clint laughed at Bucky’s antics, before grinning over at Steve. “He’s kiddin’. We’ll wait for her, too.”

    They didn’t have to wait much longer before the girl came through the pillar and joined their little group. Then, the four of them paraded onto the train and found a compartment that was still empty. That had been more of a challenge than necessary because the train only had about five minutes left before departing. By the time there was only a minute left Steve was nearly bouncing out of his seat with excitement. He was all too ready to get this show on the road.

~

    The train ride to Hogwarts had been uneventful. The four of them changed into their school uniforms (the girl had made the three boys wait in the hall while she changed), and after that a lady with a candy cart came by and each of the four got a snack. While the lady was handing Bucky his chocolate frog, Steve learned that the girl’s name was Margaret Carter and that if you didn’t call her Peggy she’d smack you upside the head because she disliked her full name so much. She’d also told him that she was hoping to get into the Ravenclaw house because she was related to the founder of that house. Steve wasn’t quite sure what she was referring to, but he felt too shy to ask.

    Bucky and Clint had sat on the same side of the compartment, and they’d barely made it half an hour into the trip before they fell asleep on each other’s shoulders. It was clear that they’d been friends their whole lives—even though they’d told Steve and Peggy this—because of how comfortable and at ease they were in each other’s company.

    Steve would be lying if he said he weren’t a little jealous; he’d never really had anyone to call a friend, and had certainly never been as close with anyone else like that, unless he counted his mother (which, does your mother really count? Steve couldn’t decide).

    Steve had ended up gazing out the window while Peggy read a book she’d brought with her. Something about spies in World War Two. She was entirely engrossed in it, which was fine with Steve. He wasn’t very good at sparking conversations.

~

    Getting off the train was quite the event.

    All of the students piled out of the train into the cool night air, and the first years were shuffled down to the docks where they were grouped and once again shuffled onto row boats with lanterns handing from the front. Then, those boats moved themselves across the lake toward the dark form of an enormous castle that was lit by lanterns on the outside and some other lights from within.

    Steve, Bucky, Clint, and Peggy had all managed to stick together and be shuffled onto the same boat, and so Peggy was sharing some facts she knew about the Hogwarts castle as they traversed the lake.

“The lake is full of aquatic species. Grindylows and merpeople live in it.”

“Most of the lights are from the Great Hall. That’s where we’re going, Steve.”

“Did you know that Hogwarts has a secret swimming pool? Hardly anyone knows where it is or how to get into it, including the Headmaster.” (Steve wondered if Matt knew about it since he’d hinted that he knew Hogwarts so well.)

    At some point during the ride, Bucky had tugged Steve’s robe and whispered to him, “Peg’s quite the know-it-all. Keep her around and we’re all bound to get good grades.”

    Steve agreed, but he also wanted to keep Peggy around for another reason. She was only eleven years old, but she had a self-confidence that Steve had never seen in a kid before. She already seemed to know her value, and Steve wanted to know her secrets.

~

     The Great Hall was quite a sight. It stretched for—from what Steve could judge—the length of a football field, and its walls towered above to the ceiling, which didn’t appear to exist because when Steve looked up at it, what he saw was the night sky behind an endless amount of floating candles.

    Four long rows of wooden tables ran the length of the hall, up to where a short staircase led up to a marble table that ran along the opposite wall of the doors through which the first years had just entered.

    There was one row of tables per coloured insignia that Steve had seen earlier at the train station. The farthest to his right had the yellow badger, the one next to that the red lion, the one to the left of that the blue raven, and the one to his far left had the green snake. Steve wondered what the significance of the symbols were.

    Every table was set with gold goblets, plates, and silverware, and there were platters for food covering the centers of the tables. Students who weren’t first years—as Steve assumed—sat at the tables, likely gathering with old friends and sharing about their summer vacations.

    The first years were in a single file line marching down the center aisle of the hall toward the pedestal that was at the top-center of the small staircase. Next to the pedestal was a small wooden chair, and on that chair was an oddly shaped hat that looked like a wilted plant. Steve wondered what it was for, too.

    He didn’t have to guess for long, though, because as soon as the line stopped Bucky—who’d been behind him in line—started whispering excitedly to him.

“Man, I can’t wait! See that hat? That’s the Sorting Hat. It’s going to sort us into one of the four houses. There’s Gryffindor for the brave, Ravenclaw for the genius, Hufflepuff for the clever, and Slytherin for the cunning. Which house do you think you’ll be in?”

“I don’t know. I hardly know anything about them, so I guess it doesn’t matter.” Steve whispered back, trying but failing to hear the instructions a man with a balding head was shouting to the first years over Bucky’s voice.

“Well, what house were your parents in?”

“They weren’t. I’m muggleborn, so I’m new to all of this.” Steve responded, ‘this’ meaning the entire wizarding world.

“Ah. Well…Here’s an idea.” Bucky said as the line moved forward and the first kid sat in the chair while the balding man placed the hat on the kid’s head.

“I’ve heard that if you ask the Sorting Hat to be put in Gryffindor, it’ll do it simply because you were brave enough to ask for it.”

“I guess I can try.” Steve shrugged. He really didn’t have any preference, so he may as well help Bucky have a little fun.

    Of the four of them, Peggy reached the hat first. She was just in front of Steve in line, and so he was close enough to hear vague muttering coming from the hat as it debated which house to put her in. After a moment, it shouted,

“Ravenclaw!”

    Peggy grinned triumphantly as the table with the blue raven symbol erupted into applause, and Steve gave her a small thumbs up which she returned as she made her way to the Ravenclaw table.

    Now it was Steve’s turn. He walked up to the chair and sat down. Once the man placed the hat on his head, it began mumbling to him in a deep, rattily voice.

“Hmm. Rogers? That’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time. I sorted a relative of yours not too long ago into Gryffindor. Would you be much the same, I wonder?”

“I want to be sorted into Gryffindor.” Steve whispered at the hat, and it chuckled at him.

“Gryffindor!” It shouted, and the table with the red lion insignia cheered. The balding man took the hat from Steve, who bounded down the stairs and over to the Gryffindor table. He caught Bucky’s eye on the way over, and the brunette winked at him as he took his turn with the hat.

    “Steve! Over here.” Steve heard a somewhat familiar voice call his name, and he turned to see Matt from Diagon Alley waving in his general direction. There was an empty spot at the table next to Matt, and so Steve slid into it.

    “Slytherin!” The Sorting Hat’s voice caught Steve’s attention, and he glanced up briefly to see Bucky pump a victorious fist in the air as he walked down the steps toward the Slytherin table. Steve felt a sliver of pride for his new somewhat-friend.

    “So, having fun yet?” Matt asked once Steve turned his attention back to him. The older teen had a slight smirk on his face that implied he was teasing.

“Yeah. None of it stops being amazing.” Steve told him, smiling slightly.

“I remember my first year here. The Great Hall was the best part for a while because I couldn’t stop wondering how Headmaster Fury managed that spell that makes the ceiling look like the sky.”

“Were you able to see then? If you don’t mind my asking.” Steve added, not sure what lines Matt was comfortable with Strangers crossing.

“Not at all. And yeah, I could. I lost my sight second year. A spell that someone cast backfired and blinded me. But I’ve been able to make up for it with magic.”

“What do you mean?” Steve asked. Was there not something that could heal Matt’s eyes? It made Steve wonder what the limitations of magic were.

“For example, I’ve charmed my silverware to be steady and to go to the right food that I want.”

    Steve was about to comment on how exciting he found that simple idea, but he was cut off by someone’s voice booming through the hall. He looked in the direction everyone else was—at the pedestal on the stairs. There stood who Steve immediately knew was the Headmaster. He was wearing a long black trench coat, dressed in all black, and had an eye patch across his left eye. The African-American man looked more intimidating than Peggy, and Steve immediately vowed not to get on his bad side.

“Ladies and gentlemen, students and teachers. Welcome to another year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. First years, I wish you the best of luck in your new academic pursuit and hope that you find Hogwarts to be home as so many before you have. The rest of you, welcome your new housemates and see that they find comfort in Hogwarts. Now, let’s eat!” The Headmaster waved his hands outward, and plentiful food appeared on the platters on every table.

    “Woa!” Steve muttered involuntarily. He was sure his amazement at everything was going to bother the others soon, but no one had said anything yet if they were bothered.

“Isn’t this all just the coolest!” The boy on his other side said to Steve, who turned to nod his head.

“Yeah. I’m Steve.” He held out his hand which the boy shook.

“Sam Wilson.”

“Are you a first year too?” Steve asked, attempting to make conversation. He was becoming more and more adjusted to the forwardness of magic folk and decided that he may as well fake it until he was a natural at it like the rest of them.

“Yeah. I’m from Harlem, New York. Where’re you from?”

“Brooklyn!”

Sam laughed cheerily. “That’s awesome!”

Steve grinned back at him.

    “Wait, you guys are from New York, too?” The blonde girl sitting across the table from Matt piped up.

“Yeah.” Sam and Steve answered at the same time.

“Jinx!” Sam yelled, and Steve laughed. At least some things weren’t going to change.

“Sweet! I’m Gwen, by the way. Second year.”

“I think I’m the outlier here.” The boy sitting next to Gwen said. He introduced himself as James “Rhodey” Rhodes and told them he was from Philidelphia and was a third year.

    At Matt’s request, Steve helped him fill his plate by telling him what was where. Then, the five Gryffindors chatted with each other for the remainder of the dinner. The older ones—Matt, Gwen, and Rhodey—all offered Steve and Sam help on anything school related or otherwise if they needed it.

~

    At the Slytherin table, Bucky found himself seated between a Russian girl with a flat accent named Natasha Romanov and a ridiculously handsome boy named Wade Wilson who _would not let up on the jokes_ , not even when Bucky was trying not to choke while drinking.

    Mostly, Wade was full of puns which he kept telling throughout dinner. Natasha seemed beyond done with him, but Bucky thought he was hilarious. It helped that Bucky knew a lot of the jokes Wade was telling—it was reassuring to know someone besides himself and Clint had a good sense of humor.

    One of his favourites was when Wade pulled out his wand, waved it around, and drew a rough sketch of Merlin with liquidy cheese.

“Look, Buck. It’s a cheese-wiz.” He’d said, which had Bucky giggling hysterically. Even Natasha had cracked a smile at that one.

    Natasha was a character in her own right. She had a certain confident pride about her that Bucky instantly admired. Her blue eyes flashed with passion when she talked about her martial arts hobby, and it reminded him of how Clint would get overly excited about archery. Her eyes also reminded Bucky of Steve’s. That kid had the bluest eyes to ever blue.

~

    Once dinner ended, the teachers and all students except for the first years and the prefects exited the great hall.

    Matt, the prefect for Gryffindor, was allowed to escort the first year Gryffindors from the Great Hall first. He led them through the twisted corridors without a single touch of hesitation, and Steve began to believe that he really did know the school better than the back of his hand.

    Scott Lang, the prefect for Slytherin, led the first years in Slytherin out next, and Bucky couldn’t contain his excitement as they traversed down to the dungeons of the castle.

    Arriving at the entrance to the Slytherin dormitory, the first years began mumbling to each other in confusion. There was no door of any sort, they were all just facing a wall of the corridor.

    However, their confusion wasn’t long lived, because Scott tapped a darker brick on the wall once with his wand and said,

“ _Lampropeltis_!”

    The bricks folded away—much the same as they do in Diagon Alley—and revealed a stone common room with greenish lighting from the floor-to-ceiling windows filtering in and giving the room a mysterious aura. The first years filed in behind Scott, who began announcing things from in front of the stone fireplace as soon as the door had closed behind everyone.

“Your trunks have been placed in your dorms. Ladies, you’re to the left of the fireplace. Gents to the right. There’s no curfew in the common room or dorms, but no first through third years are allowed in the hall past nine p.m. Besides that, sleep well, and meet in here twenty minutes before first period so that I can guide you to the correct classroom.”

    Scott then ascended the steps to the men’s dormitory, leaving the first years to themselves.

    Natasha turned to Bucky and said, “Well, I’m gonna go organize my room. Catchya later?”

“Yeah. See ya, Natasha.” He said, and she dashed off to her side of the dorm. Bucky went up the stairs that led to the boy’s dormitory, and found that it was layered in floors, and that the first years were all the way at the top of the staircase.

 _Ugh. This is one tradition I’ll be glad to be on the other end of._ Bucky thought as he made it to the final stair and opened the old wooden door to the dorm room.

    Inside were a bunch of large twin beds, each with a desk. Each furniture set was shrouded behind a curtain coloured silver and green to match the Slytherin house colours. Briefly, Bucky wondered if the other house dorms looked similar to this. He assumed they did.

    Bucky found his stuff placed next to one of the beds near the back windows, and he felt a stab of joy at the sight. He’d been hoping to be next to a window at least once in his years at Hogwarts, and the fact that he’d gotten that in his first year made him even more optimistic about this school year. Potentially, he already had three new friends: Peggy, Natasha, and Steve.

    As Bucky unpacked his things, he wondered what Clint was up to and if he was having just as easy of a time as Bucky was getting settled in. Bucky would have to text him before he went to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: Lampropeltis is the Latin (Scientific) name of the Kingsnake.
> 
> *Edit: I will be unable to update this tuesday (Sept. 29) due to college shenanigans. I will have the next chapter up BY tuesday Oct.6th, that I can promise. ~SW


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here's the dealio. College is a busy time. But, I know I owe you guys one, and it's Tuesday. So, I'm gonna post what I'm gonna call "Chapter 4 Part One". The next chapter can be considered "Part Two". Or if you wanna count them separately, that's cool. Doesn't matter to me. I'm gonna post "Part Two" as soon as I finish it, and hopefully have chapter 5 up by next Tuesday.   
> Thanks for your patience! <3 SW

    It wasn’t until Wednesday that Bucky really saw Steve again. They had different class schedules because each house had different schedules, and so the only class first years from different houses shared was the double potions class periods. Gryffindors and Slytherins had the class together Wednesday and Friday mornings, while Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs had that class together Wednesday and Friday afternoons.

    Since the sorting ceremony, Bucky had been having the time of his life. Hogwarts was just as much of an adventure as his family had told him it would be. The food was plentiful and delicious. The classes were _fantastic_. And it wasn’t hard for him to make friends or keep in contact with Clint. He saw Clint at least once a day, because although they didn’t sit together at meals (not that there was a rule against it, except during dinner which was the meal most everyone ate) they texted each other constantly and met up in the library for an hour or so to study (though at this point there wasn’t much _to_ study).

    He and Natasha had been spending more time together, too. She kept him company during most meals and classes, and he was quickly discovering that, while she was _incredibly_ quiet, her sass levels matched if not _exceeded_ Bucky’s. One of his favourite things she’d done so far—even though the term had started two days ago—was that when she noticed an older student bullying a first year, she ‘accidently’ bumped into the older student, knocking his books everywhere just as he’d been about to do to the kid. The words out of her mouth had been: “I’m sorry, did I step on your moment?”. Then she’d walked off with Bucky running to catch up with her.

    Another highlight was Steve. For whatever reason, Bucky couldn’t shake the adorable little blonde’s face from his mind. Whenever they passed in the halls or saw each other in the dining hall, Bucky had made sure to say hi. Steve said hi back, which never failed to make Bucky’s day.

     Now, it was Wednesday. As he sauntered (yes, sauntered) into the Potions classroom he found Steve’s mop of blonde hair sitting at one of the tables near the front. The tables were in groups of twos so that four students could work together, and so once Bucky took in the fact that the seat next to Steve was empty, he made a break for it. Luckily no one else was trying to get that spot.

    Steve had been reading the beginning of the potions textbook, _Magical Drafts and Potions,_ but when Bucky plopped into the chair next to him, he started, looked up, and stared at the boy.

“Bucky?” He asked, and Bucky was secretly pleased that Steve remembered his name.

“The one and only. How’ve you been, Steve?” Bucky asked, making sure to let Steve know that he hadn’t forgotten his name, either. If he weren’t eleven years old, he might have questioned why he did that.

“Fine. Wizard school is amazing, actually. I feel lucky to be here.”

“Yeah. You’re okay if I sit here, right?”

“Yeah. Sam’s gonna sit with me, so as long as there’s a seat at the table somewhere for him it doesn’t matter.” Steve said, looking back down at his book.

“Who’s Sam?” The slightest twinge in his stomach made Bucky a bit concerned that he was suddenly getting a stomach ache. He hadn’t eaten anything strange that morning…hmm.

“Oh, he’s a new friend of mine. I met him on the first night. He’s a Gryffindor too.”

“Oh cool.” Bucky couldn’t help but wonder if Steve considered him a friend. Then again, they hadn’t spent that much time with one another yet. Right then and there, Bucky decided that that needed to change.

“You’ve probably seen him around. He’s been there a few of the times we’ve passed by each other.” Steve mentioned a moment later.

“Oh, yeah, okay.” Bucky nodded, because now he did remember that there’d been a kid hanging around with Steve on a few occasions. Not that there’d been many, so far.

    It was then that Natasha swooped into the chair across the table from Bucky. Her gaze flickered between the two boys before she pulled out her textbook from her bag and dumped it onto the table.

“Hey, Natasha.” Bucky greeted her. She flashed him her usual tiny smile before cracking open the brand-new book and reading the first page.

“This is Steve. Steve, this is Natasha.” Bucky said, deciding to introduce her even though she hadn’t said anything to indicate she wanted to be introduced.

“Hi.” Steve said meekly. Natasha gave him a much bigger smile than Bucky had ever gotten, and he felt slightly cheated.

“Hello.” She said back, then turned her blue-eyed gaze to Bucky.

“Am I still joining you and your friend for studying tonight?” She asked. Bucky nodded. He and Clint had invited her to their nightly study sessions. Then he got an idea.

“Hey, Steve, do you wanna join us, too? Clint and I have been meeting up in the library every night to review and do homework. You can join us. And bring Sam. And that one girl, if you’ve been talking to her. You remember the know-it-all who went into Ravenclaw?”

Steve thought for a moment. “Yeah, that sounds like a great idea. I don’t know when or if I’ll see Peggy again, but could Sam come?”

“Can I do what now?” A voice asked, and then a boy who Bucky immediately guessed was Sam sat down at the seat across from Steve.

“Study with us. Bucky’s inviting us to his study group.” Steve explained. Bucky didn’t correct him in that so far he’d only invited Steve. He was open to new friends, and if Steve thought of Sam as a friend Bucky sure was willing to. Again, if he hadn’t been merely eleven year old, he would’ve been questioning his motives.

    “Sounds fun. Sam Wilson, by the way.” Sam said, holding his hand out to Bucky who shook it.

“Why’re you so formal?” Bucky asked curiously as Sam shifted to offer his hand to Natasha. She shook it gingerly before turning back to her book.

“That’s how my parents‘ve raised me.” Sam replied with a shrug. He pulled out his own book and set it on the table. Bucky realized that he was the only one without it out, so he scrambled for it in his backpack. He set it on the table right as the professor walked in.

    Glancing around him, Bucky realized that all of the tables had filled in while he was talking with Steve. Class was about to begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bucky needs more story time, so this one’s gonna be mostly him. Woo! The rest of it…well, you’re just gonna have ‘ta find out, aren’t ya? ;D


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right now, Steve and Bucky are about the same height. Just thought I’d mention that since I didn’t write it in when they first met. Also, guest writer marvelousshipper!
> 
> I'm gonna rush through this first year a bit, so expect some serious time skips in the next few chapters.
> 
> <3SW

    Bucky could hardly contain his excitement. He was sitting next to Natasha at the Slytherin dining table that night, waiting for seven o’clock to roll around so that their study session could start. Potions class had been a lot of fun. Sam and Natasha were paired as lab partners, and they’d hit it off easily while working on the very basic potion that Professor Hill had assigned as an introduction to potions (after they’d gone over a ton of safety requirements; that part had bored Bucky out of his mind because his mom had given him that run-down many times before).

    This of course had left Steve as Bucky’s lab partner. The little guy had been enthralled by getting to do potions on the first day, and he hadn’t been bored at all by the safety lecture. Bucky guessed that anything involving magic was going to be fascinating to Steve. Perks of being muggleborn.

    “Honestly молодой человек, if you were bouncing any harder you would be flying off the walls.” Natasha grumbled next to him. Bucky started from his thoughts and grinned at her.

“I’m just excited ‘s all.” He defended.

“Why?”

“Um…study session?” Bucky answered meekly, suddenly realizing that having to explain that he was excited to hang out with Steve again was going to sound a little weird.

“You just want to see Steve again.”

Natasha already knew him too well.

“Yeah…” Bucky admitted, shrugging.

“He _is_ cute.” Natasha said, smiling wryly. Bucky glared at her.

“Shut up.”

Natasha laughed at that. “I bet ten sickles you’ll have a full blown crush on him by the end of next week.”

“I’m not betting on that.” Bucky snapped, taking a drink of water from his refilled goblet.

“Because you know I’m right.”

Bucky shrugged. She probably was, so why deny it?

    A minute or so later, Bucky heard his name called and turned to Steve parading Sam and the girl from the Hogwarts Express down the aisle between the Slytherin table and the one behind it to where Bucky and Natasha were seated. There was another girl trailing behind the other who Bucky hadn’t seen yet. Bucky waved at Steve, who waved back with a grin.

“Okay, I want fifty sickles instead.” Natasha whispered. Bucky shot her a glare before standing to greet the trio.

“Hey guys. You all ready to study?”

“Yeah. And, I found Peggy. She’s going to bring her Potions partner, Angie from Hufflepuff, with us. If that’s okay.” Steve added, suddenly unsure if he had imposed.

“The more the merrier.” Natasha said, standing from the table. “Onward?”

    The girl at the back, who Bucky assumed was Angie, turned and led the parade out of the Great Hall and toward the library. Peggy walked alongside her, her brown curls bouncing with each step she took.

    Natasha caught up with Sam, winking at Bucky as she passed. She started talking to him about Potions class, which was enough to distract him from Steve so that the other Gryffindor fell in step with Bucky.

“How was the rest of your day?” He asked conversationally.

“Good. I had flying this afternoon which was everything it was talked up to be. I’m gonna have to try out for Quidditch next year.”

“What’s ‘kuwiddich’?” Steve asked, fumbling miserably over the word.

“Ah, that’s right! You’ve probably never heard of it. It’s the number one sport played by magic folk. It’s a game played on broomsticks. There are two teams, and each has to throw a certain ball through hoops to score points. Then there’s the seekers, one for each team. They chase a tiny gold ball called the snitch. Whoever catches it earns one hundred and fifty points for their team. The game ends when the snitch is caught.”

“And it’s all played on broomsticks?”

“Yeah. Have you had your flying class yet?”

“No. I think it’s tomorrow.”

“Oh. Well, you’ll see then, but the players are really high up in the air. And the stadium is enormous. I’m sure we’ll go to plenty of games; each house has a team.”

Steve nodded, then said, “Is it kind of like rivalry football?”

Bucky laughed at Steve’s comparison. “In a way, but Quidditch is so much better than football ever could be.”

“I’ll agree with that and I haven’t seen it yet.” Steve laughed along.

    When they reached the library, they found Clint leaning on the wall next to the doors. He joined Bucky and Steve at the end of the group as Peggy and Angie led them to the back of the library where the large study tables were.

“I thought you said you were inviting one, maybe two other people. I count…five?” Clint mumbled to Bucky as they walked. He shrugged, giving his best friend a lopsided grin.

“Steve’s popular; he couldn’t help but bring some friends along.”

    Bucky glanced over at Steve, who was blushing slightly at Bucky’s comment.

“Oh, hey Steve!” Clint greeted, adding, “Glad to hear you’re making more friends besides us weirdoes.”

Steve chuckled awkwardly at that. “Nah, you guys aren’t bad.”

“That’s ‘cause you haven’t spent enough time with us yet.” Clint said, grinning cheekily. He and Bucky exchanged a knowing look.

    Peggy announced that she’d found a table then, and so the group settled around the table with Peggy, Angie, Natasha, and Sam on one side and Steve, Bucky, and Clint on the other.

The girls began going over Charms notes while Sam and Clint chatted, getting to know one another. That left Bucky and Steve alone, _again._ Bucky knew that he was in trouble with the pattern of things.

    Steve glanced around the table, then looked over at Bucky sheepishly. “So, what do you wanna look at?”

Bucky thought for a moment. The only class they shared was Potions, and he had no idea what Steve had or hadn’t had yet this week.

“Well, we could look over what it is we’re going to do in double Potions on Friday. Or, I could tell you more things about the wizarding world.”

Steve’s face lit up at that. “Yeah, tell me more!” He said excitedly.

    Bucky ended up explaining a lot to him. He described various things about the currency system. How wizards and witches were required to go to non-magic schools until they were eleven to learn the basics of life, make friends, and know better about muggles. He’d told Steve how, until about ten years ago, that hadn’t been a requirement. Magic folk had been allowed to homeschool or not school at all, which was silly because it left the majority of the population ignorant about the muggle world, which was incredibly important for the proper functioning of the wizarding world. He told him about the various jobs he knew about that wizards could have.

    The group only hung around in the library for an hour, and when they all got up to leave, they went their separate ways more reluctantly than expected.

~

    Peter Parker was ridiculously excited for his Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Not only was it supposed to be one of the most fun classes in regards to spell casting, but it was incredibly practical in the real world. Plus, he had class with Wade Wilson, and that meant he had the opportunity to wipe the smirk off of Wilson’s stupid face.

His excitement only grew as he headed out, made his way down the hall, and entered the classroom. Then he laid eyes on the teacher, and all of his excitement was rapidly converted into confusion.

“Aunt May?!”

The older woman rapidly turned to him, and yep, that was Aunt May alright. Wh-what? She looked about as ready to see him as he was to see her, which is to say, none at all. She quickly turned back to the students she had been conversing with and gave them a typical teacher brush off and came over to him. Peter’s first instinct was to run, which was kind of dumb, because this was his loving, non-threatening Aunt, but he hadn’t exactly told her _which_ boarding school he had decided to go to two years ago. He _thought_ he was sparing his muggle Aunt from worrying too much, as Hogwarts (and the wizarding community in general, if we’re being honest) wasn’t exactly known for being the….safest of places, but he had been mistaken. He didn’t run, though. Actually, he was rendered immobile as his aunt (wearing black robes and with a wand in hand, holy crap, this was real) approached.  In a hushed, calm tone, she placed a hand on his shoulder and said, “Peter? What are you doing here?”

Wasn’t _that_ a loaded question. His brain had sort of shut down at that point, so his response ended up being a stiff, “Taking…defense against… the dark arts?”

This brought a laugh out of Aunt May that helped eased both of their tension, “Well, this is going to sound bad, but perhaps you should see me after class. We clearly have some things to discuss. Also, may I request a favor?”

Peter actually managed to relax the tiniest amount, and his response of, “Yeah, sure,” didn’t even come out sounding strangled.

“Would you mind not calling me “aunt” during class? Otherwise, the other students may accuse me of nepotism.”

May added in a conspiratory wink for good measure, and Peter gave a nod, even though it was going to be weird as hell referring to her in any other manner than “Aunt May”. She smiled brightly at him and even though this was a situation that he never thought he would be in, she was still his aunt.  Being a witch on top of everything honestly just kind of made her cooler.

“Alright, well, now that that’s settled, I suppose I should actually start class, shouldn’t I? Go ahead and take a seat, Pete. I think you’ll really like today’s lesson.”

Right. Lesson. The reason he was here. Class. Class taught by Aunt May, but class nonetheless. God, he hadn’t signed up for this. Well, technically he had, but that was beside the point.  He was relatively certain that he was going to be distracted all class with the just absolute myriad of questions running through his head, and then he saw Wade in the crowd. He had to focus. Not only was he honestly interested in the subject matter, but he had to learn it down pat if he was going to best the smug asshole. Not that that was a priority. Nope, he wasn’t competitive by nature at _all_. He was a Ravenclaw after all, he was there to gain knowledge. But the possibility of besting Wade in an in-class duel (in-class duels! How cool was that!) didn’t exactly hinder his motivation. His confusion about Aunt May and basically everything he had ever known in his life could be put aside for now, he had some boggarts to learn about.


End file.
